Friday, August 24, 2012

Tennessee: Getting shot in the leg no big deal

In Tennessee getting shot doesn't seem to hurt as much as it does in other states.  So says the state's supreme courrt.  The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that a gunshot wound isn’t necessarily the same as a serious bodily injury.

The court’s opinion was published this week in the case of two men found guilty of especially aggravated robbery for shooting a man in the leg during a 2008 Memphis holdup.

The opinion written by Justice Sharon G. Lee said the prosecution failed to show that the victim, was at risk of dying, lost consciousness or suffered extreme pain, disfigurement or substantial impairment. Those are the standards spelled out in the state statutes that define serious bodily injury.

The court threw out the especially aggravated robbery convictions against the two men. A lower court was ordered to sentence them on the less serious charge of aggravated robbery.

In Tennessee, thugs can expect a slap on the wrist for shooting somoeone as long as they keep it below the waste.

To read more: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120823/NEWS21/308230046/Tennessee-Supreme-Court-rules-gunshot-wounds-different-from-serious-bodily-injury?nclick_check=1



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